Darkness Comes Before The Dawn
by NazoPureChaos
Summary: Twilight Sparkle has been plagued by a nightmare with an ominous warning, and try as she might, she could not stop the warnings relayed in her nightmares from coming to pass. Now the unintentional leader of a band of survivors from the bloodiest massacre in Equestrian history, Twilight and her friends must learn to cheat death once more.
1. Night Terror

CHAPTER I

NIGHT TERROR

"Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..."

Grudges are like avalanches. They begin as a result of the right circumstances at the right time, or, in this case the wrong time. Then they fester, building and building as the days and years flow on by. Nopony notices them, nopony realizes they exist, so nopony attempts to prevent them. More and more years pass, and it builds and builds, hidden from sight. Then, one day an innocuous pony comes along, unaware of the potential for disaster hiding out of sight. With a simple prod, like the falling of small stones, it comes pouring out, greater and more devastating than when it began.

Several years ago, small stones began to fall. Nopony paid any mind to them, not recognizing them for the terror they would become. Their existence and manifestation were almost cliche, given the circumstances. You can understand then why those involved dismissed them so easily. Not that the ponies of Equestria knew to look for them in the first place; back then, ponies were under the illusion of a perfect nation, ruled by princesses Celestia and Luna. It was perfect. It was beautiful. It was innocent. Equestria then was but a protected virgin to ideals forgotten by time. She was too protected. Her children knew nothing of what was to come, and when it came, it took advantage of them. Equestria was raped of its freedom, and perverted by questionable values. Virtue was obliterated, and those who still clung to any were cast out and tried as traitors. Those that gave in were nothing anymore, their soul stripped from them to be corrupted and twisted by powers unknown. When they got it back, it was no longer a piece of them, but instead something else entirely. Something made to control them, and keep them in check.

All of this took time. It did not happen at once, but over the course of the years to pass. History was forgotten then, what was known afterward written by the victors and treated as truth. They abused their power over history, and the lesser suffered for it.

The stones that started the avalanche took the form of nightmares. They recurred every night, and each night they came differently, but yet they were the same as before. It was no coincidence, as a mere few days later, the boulders began to tumble after.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Twilight jolted upright, and her horn narrowly missed the ceiling. Her body was shaking, shivering, and her coat and mane were slick with sweat. She panted heavily, unable to cry for help. She tried to call out, but her involuntary breathing would not let her. She could not make a sound, apart from a desperate wheezing. Feeling as helpless as a foal, she cried. Tears rolled off her cheeks, and splashed against the silk sheets covering her legs. She had never felt so alone, so afraid. She was terrified, and she could not call to anyone. Nopony would know she needed help; nopony would come to comfort her if no one knew.

Still sweating profusely, she felt her breathing slow down, and in desperation she sucked in an enormous breath, her chest burning in response, and screamed the name she knew would hear her and come as loud as was physically possible. Lightheaded, Twilight curled up and waited. After a few seconds the door of her room slammed open, and she heard the flick of the light switch. Her number one assistant murmured something beyond her hearing. A reassuring, clawed hand pressed against her shoulder, and she heard more hoofsteps entering the room.

It was okay. Spike was here.

It was okay. Her friends had come to help her.

It was okay. Everything would be fine.

Rest. She needed rest. Now seemed like a good time.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Ugh. Had anypony not heard of a peaceful sleep? Peaceful sleep! Pretty self-explanatory. Was it too much to ask for them to be quiet while she tried to rest? At least whisper for pony's sake! Their chatter drilled into her brain through her ears, digging at her with each syllable. While her eyes were closed, she could still make out a red glare from something beyond the shadows of her eyelids. What was it? It must be the light. Hello! She was trying to sleep! They could have at least done her the courtesy of leaving the room dark. Why were ponies in her room anyway? Only her friends ever came up here. What time was it?

Twilight tried to ignore the piercing speech, but to no avail. She would have to reprimand them for intruding upon her rest. The annoyed mare pushed herself up, and opened her eyes. What greeted her was an immense pounding in her head, like somepony was beating against her skull, and a flash of brilliantly bright light. She gasped in surprise, and reflexively collapsed back onto the comforting mattress, sinking into the pluff pillow. The conversation halted abruptly, and after a short pause, one mare spoke in a country drawl.

"...Twiligh', hun, you awake?" Number One inquired cautiously. A second mare snorted.

"Well, I would assume so. It may have escaped your notice, but she just jumped up, gasped, and fell back, rather gracefully. Unless she was having a sporadic seizure, in which case it would be best to contact a doctor. Perhaps Nurse Redheart, she's such a sweetheart," Number Two added thoughtfully to her chastisement.

"Oh, come off it Rares, she'll be fine," scoffed a third mare, verbally rolling her eyes.

"Fine? Fine? Rainbow Dash! Are you so ignorant as to believe she is possibly fine?! I knew you were thick, but honestly! Harumph!" the second voice replied, taken aback at Rainbow Dash's insensitiveness.

"Pinkie, y'all been awfully quiet. What's eatin' at you?" Number One questioned a previously silent pony, before the other two could expand upon their argument.

"...This morning, when Twilight screamed... I had another doozy," the one called Pinkie said in a despairingly desolate tone.

"Not the one like a' Froggy Bottom Bog? It's just I don't fancy gettin' attacked by another hydra anytime soon. Once was enough for this mare."

"No. That one was like "Something ginormous is going down at Froggy Bottom Bog, and you need to be there!". This one was all "Something really big is about to go down. Something scary is going to happen Pinkie, something is coming and it will not be nice". It... it really freaked me out," Pinkie explained. There was something about that sentence that reminded Twilight of... something. What had Pinkie said her doozy felt like? Like... something was coming...

Oh, there was no use in pretending any longer. Twilight was not going back to sleep, whether she wanted to or not. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Five very special mares occupied the floor of her bedroom. Applejack was pacing around nervously, worry written all over her face. Rarity was lying on her side, watching Applejack anxiously. Every now and then she glanced disapprovingly at Rainbow Dash, who was leaning against a bookcase, under a pretense of indifference. Pinkie Pie was uncharacteristically lying down as well, her head resting on crossed hooves. Fluttershy–the only pony not to have spoken–was sleeping against Pinkie.

"Is it too much to ask for some peaceful sleep?" Twilight groaned, but it merely a show; she was glad to see her friends. Applejack broke her route to climb the stairs to Twilight's bed.

"Mornin' sugarcube. How ya feelin'?" she said in a soft tone, like the way one would speak to a child. Inadvertently ignoring her, Twilight lazily rolled herself off the bed, and groggily trotted down the stairs, Applejack following her side-by-side. Stretching out her forelegs and back, she yawned and then greeted her guests.

"Mmmorning. Mm, what are you girls doing here?" Everypony echoed her sentiment, but otherwise stared at her silently, like they were waiting for her to explode. Applejack looked her in eye cautiously.

"You... don't remember?" she asked, making Twilight uncomfortable. Did something happen? She studied her friends more intimately, and noticed that they were all nervous. Nervous about what? Did she get drunk last night and do something ignorantly stupid? Oh, Celestia, Twilight prayed she did not start dancing on table tops. That was... embarrassing to say the least. Oh, the Princess was not letting her live that down either. Every now and then, when Twilight was least expecting it, she would make a quip that would fluster her. Twilight prepared herself for the worst.

"Um... no? Oh-please-tell-me-I-wasn't-dancing-on-tables-again!" she blurted, ears laid back against her mane. Applejack's mouth fell open as she tried to process that information, and the rest graciously held back their laughter at her expense. Well, all but Rainbow Dash, who snorted then fell to the floor laughing.

"Bwahahaha! Dancing on tables? Again? Something you want to admit to us, Twilight?" Twilight felt her face grow hot as a blush crept up her cheeks. Rarity shot a glare at Rainbow, one that went unnoticed by her as she rolled around on the ground. The proper seamstress scrunched her nose at the mare's uncouth behavior. Applejack shot daggers at her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack spat at her, "Yer gonna laugh at her after what's happened?" Rainbow rolled onto her stomach and rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on cowgirl! I'm just trying to lighten up the situation is all. Can't fault me for that, can you?" Twilight cut Applejack off before she could retort with some sort of clever cliche. Something was odd about what she said.

"What do you mean, "after what's happened"?" she asked the farm mare slowly, unsure if she wanted the answer. Applejack looked around uneasily, first at Rainbow then at Rarity, looking for confirmation. Confirmation for what? What's troubling them? Twilight thought. Rarity prodded the air in front of her with a hoof, signaling Applejack to carry on with whatever she was about to reveal. She cleared her throat.

"You... don't remember?" she repeated. Now Twilight was becoming very anxious. This was beyond some embarrassing action. These ponies–her closest friends–were genuinely scared for her. This did not bode well at all. What could she have done to frighten them like this? She was one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria, she did not... did she destroy something? Had she fallen into some sort of blackout and rampaged? But as far as Twilight was concerned, she had no knowledge of dark magic. The study or dabbling of dark or black magic was expressly forbidden in Equestria, punishable by banishment. Her ears pressed against the back of her head, Twilight shied away unconsciously from Applejack and her extremely inquisitive look, her eyes darting back and forth between everypony else. Her heart beat just a little faster, and she laughed nervously.

"Does somepony want to explain what's going on? It's just... all of this... well, you're starting to scare me," Twilight asked as she back away slightly. Rarity barked a half-hearted laugh, looking at Twilight in utter disbelief.

"We... we're scaring you? Heh... My dear, the fright you gave us last night," she said. Fright? How did she scare them? What did she do! Come on Twilight, think! What happened last night? She... she...

She had a nightmare, did she not? Twilight chuckled nervously.

"Girls... what's going on? What..."

"You don't remember anything? Come on Twi! The way you screamed I thought somepony was trying to assassinate you!" Rainbow Dash blurted, closing the distance between them with a flash of the visible spectrum. Applejack just stared at Rainbow, eyes half-lidded, as Twilight's mouth fell open in shock.

"Assassination? Really? I think you've been readin' too many of those books of yers. But Rainbow's right, Twi, you were screamin' loud enough to wake all of Tartarus," she said, returning her gaze back to the purple unicorn. Twilight searched the room for something else to look at, anything but her friends and their concerned stares. She screamed last night... but why could she not remember? Was she having a nightmare? Twilight shivered as a cold chill swept through the air. A nightmare? But she no longer had nightmares. Living with the Princess of the Sun tended to abate most fears. Was it possible? What would she even have nightmares about? Her friends all claimed she was screaming last night... but...

A wave of petrifying fear overwhelmed her, bringing along with it the sense of deja vu. It tore through her, dragging three words back into her head and pounded each one into the back of her mind, like one would pound on a locked door to seek entrance.

Bang–Something.

Bang–Is.

Bang–Coming.

Parts of last night flowed back, and she collapsed under the shear pressure, her breath coming in short gasps. Something soft and firm caught her in mid-fall, and she forced her eyes open–now clogging with fresh tears–looking into the magenta and green eyes of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Applejack removed her hoof from Twilight, and handed her over to Rainbow Dash, who flew her off the stairs and down onto the bottom level. Almost at once the others who were awake crowded around her.

"Oh no! Oh dear, what's wrong? Do you remember? Oh darling, tell us. What happened?" cried Rarity, throwing her hooves around Twilight in an overexaggerated hug, one the did not fulfil its purpose of being comforting. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash pulled her off.

"Geez Rarity, back off! She needs room to breathe!" Rarity, not wishing to start an argument in light of the situation, huffed, and forced herself to be content with standing nearby and stroking Twilight's mane with a forehoof.

"Do you Twi? Do you remember?" repeated Applejack, adopting that soft voice once more. Twilight breathed a few times, trying to collect herself before she responded. She sniffed, then finished by blinking the tears from her eyes. It was not perfect, but it would have to suffice for now.

"I... I..." she began, swallowing back another wave of tears, "No. No, I don't. But... but I can still feel it. Like some sort of aftershock. It was... despairing. And terrible. I felt... it felt like the world was never going to be the same again. Not in a good way, either. I felt... I heard... I don't know. I have this overwhelming feeling like... like–"

"Like something really bad is about to happen. Like something is coming, something not nice, not nice at all," finished Pinkie, who was not making eye contact with anypony. In fact, the mare's head drooped as she stared at the floor, and there was something else off about her, something that Twilight just could not put her hoof on. She walked up to the unicorn, nudging her neck in empathy. Twilight continued to stare at her, trying to place what was wrong. It was her mane. It was no longer its usual puffy mess, instead flat and straightened, echoing her own depression.

"It's alright, Pinkie," Twilight comforted her, "It was only a dream. Just a nightmare. I'm probably just overreacting about it. Wouldn't be the first time, right?" Pinkie cracked a smile. "Remember that time when I first heard about your Pinkie Sense? I went through all that trouble to try and explain it, and in the end I couldn't, and just had to accept it?"

For a moment Pinkie narrowed her eyes in thought, then with a snort of laughter her mane burst back into its normal, puffy state. "Oh yeah!" she giggled, "You were stalking me that whole day, and then at the end we got chased by that huuuuge-o-mongus Hydra! Oh, but that was right before Fluttershy almost exploded twice, and then your mane caught fire, and you–*snort*–had an anvil dropped on your head! I can't remember though, was it made by ACME? I can never tell–neither can you, for that matter, so be careful when walking next to tall buildings!" she finished, her outlandish digression leaving the others not without some level of confusion. It was at this point that Twilight came to notice that one of her dearest friends was missing.

"Where did Spike go?" she asked the group at large, searching the room to see if she could make out his scaley figure taking a nap somewhere obscure. It was Rarity who answered.

"Oh, dear little Spikey-wikey decided to burden himself with cooking us a meal. Isn't he the sweetest little thing?" Rarity cooed, "He left only shortly before you woke, so he should be back any minute to serve us–"

"Breakfast!" Spike the dragon called from the doorway. In his tiny purple arms he carried a tray just larger than himself, loaded with enough eggs and hay bacon strips for each of the mares plus Spike, and seven glasses of orange juice. Rarity, the ever-generous-one, (quite literally, as it were), perked up and instantly went to work with her magic, grabbing the plates of food and placing them in front of each pony present, leaving Spike to pass out the glasses of orange juice. When he passed Fluttershy, who was still asleep, he looked at her incredulously, as if he could not believe the mare was still sleeping. With a roll of his eyes he moved on, finishing by handing Rarity her drink with a sweeping bow that made her giggle.

"Why thank you Spike, this breakfast you made us looks absolutely scrumptious! What would Twilight do without you?" she said, both of them ignoring the glare the librarian gave her.

"Anything for you, m'lady," he said with another bow, before taking his own plate and positioning himself between Twilight and Rarity. Before the six of them could dig in, Pinkie Pie took it upon herself to wake Fluttershy in a way only she could. She bound forward and pressed her face so close to the sleeping pony's that one could have sworn their foreheads were touching. Everypony in the room held their breath (including Pinkie) and waited for the obnoxiously loud noise that was sure to accompany whatever plan the eccentric mare had. Instead she merely stood there, concentrating hard on... something.

After a moment of everypony observing the two, Fluttershy's eyes blinked slowly open as she yawned near-inaudibly.

"Mmmmmorning everypony," she greeted in a voice that complimented her name perfectly. She flinched when she noticed Pinkie's extreme proximity to her. "Oh! Hi there Pinkie. I didn't see you there." Pinkie merely smiled in acknowledgement, then hopped back to her dish and started eating one of her eggs.

"Mornin' sugarcube. Did ya sleep alright?" responded Applejack as she began working on her eggs as well.

"Oh yes I did. I had this wonderful dream about my bunny, Angel. Did Twilight–Oh! Morning Twilight. How are you feeling?" she said with a smile, blinking sleep from her eyes. By this time everypony had begun to eat their breakfast, with the exception of Fluttershy, who passed on her eggs to Rainbow Dash. Twilight took a gulp of orange juice before answering.

"Better. It was merely a nightmare, that's all," she explained. Some part of her mind decidedly agreed that that was all it was, just a passing night terror, and the rest of her hoped that a nightmare was all the dream was. However, some nagging feeling somewhere in the back of her mind had its doubts. It whispered to her, repeating the only words that she could remember: something is coming. Something is coming. But they were not words, more like... an idea. An idea planted in her head. But that notion was insane. No idea was planted in her head, it was but a nightmare, one that would eventually disappear from memory. Nothing would come of it.

However, if something was to come of it, preparations should be made. If Twilight were to allow herself to believe in visions, that could mean something truly was coming. Pinkie Pie likewise had a similar fear, although through her Pinkie Sense as opposed to a dream, but was in essence the same message: something is coming. And if both of those were to be taken as fact, then that would also imply that whatever was coming was something terrible. And if this were true, then Princess Celestia should be warned! But...

Twilight mentally shook her head and reprimanded herself. She was acting too fast, moving on a whim. She should allow herself some time to investigate the matter, and even then, what would come of warning the Princess if it was but a nightmare? It was at this point that her thoughts cascaded off into a tangent, her analytical mind moving to analyze the princesses. There were three, as was common knowledge; Princess Celestia, her sister Princess Luna, and their niece Princess Cadance, of whom it should also be mentioned was Twilight's sister-in-law. Unlike Twilight however, Cadance, along with Luna and Celestia, were alicorns. The term "alicorn" was inscribed to describe the princesses, as no other was like them. There were the earth ponies, the pegasi, and the unicorns, and then there were the alicorns: ponies with both wings and horns. Nopony knows how the alicorns came to existence, just that they have always been. Which raised an interesting question in Twilight's mind; just how were the alicorns born? Great, one more inquiry to bother her. Answering that would have to wait, as there was breakfast to consume.

"So Fluttershy, where's Time Turner? It's almost as if he never leaves your side," said Rarity, vying for casual conversation. Twilight was grateful for the distraction, even if that was all it was; the warning still lingered in the part of her mind acquainted with doubt. Time Turner was, in the most basic sense, Fluttershy's coltfriend. Not that there was much wrong with him, not in the slightest–Twilight found him to be a charming individual. At first Fluttershy's friends were wary of him, and his slight brashness in asking her. Over time, however, even Applejack grew to like Time Turner. Time Turner was a very handsome stallion, with a sand-colored coat and a mane like milk chocolate. He owned an antique shop nearby Sugar Cube Corner, where he traded and bartered over old clocks and nightstands and chests and couches. His talent was an uncanny knowledge of the time, inside or outside at any moment of day or night. Rainbow Dash constantly toyed with him over his talent, her usual greeting a simple acknowledgement followed by, "what time is it?".

"Oh, he took the day off to go pick some flowers for me. But don't say anything to him! I'm, uh, not supposed to know," Fluttershy replied, a slight blush creeping up her cheek.

"Awe, that's absolutely sweet of him. You two are so adorable together; if only I had myself a stallion like that," Rarity said, and Spike shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Rarity having a stallion. Twilight and Applejack, the only two to notice, shared a knowing look. It was no secret to anypony in Ponyville that the adolescent dragon shared feelings for the seamstress mare.

After that short exchange, the rest of the morning continued in the same fashion. The mares and Spike finished their meal as they shared stories and focused on everything but the nightmare and anything associated with it. Eventually the time came when some had to leave; Rarity left to go check on Sweetie Belle (her younger sister), and Applejack, who had to go back to harvest apples at Sweet Apple Acres. This left Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie alone with Spike and Twilight. They sat in silence for only a short while (which in itself was a surprise, what with Pinkie still being there) before Rainbow Dash expressed a desire for the newest Daring Do novel: Daring Do and the Most Dangerous Game. Twilight jumped at the distraction, and was eternally grateful to Rainbow for it.

Together, all four of them retreated to the library section of Twilight's house, for it doubled as Ponyville's main Library, or more accurately, Ponyville's main Library doubled as Twilight's house. As Twilight searched the shelves for the book, Pinkie Pie bounded off to some undisclosed location, while Rainbow Dash lounged on the stairs, managing to fall asleep after almost no time had passed, a familiar stetson lying on her head.

Twilight pulled both old and new books off the shelves around her, passing each one in front of her with her magic, then declared "no!" before replacing it. Spike rolled out the ladder and began to search the top-most shelves, although he did this half-heartedly. He knew the location of Twilight's copy of Daring Do and the Most Dangerous Game, but proceeded to let his friend continue to distract herself below, for that was what she was doing.

What seemed like a long time ago was when Spike first met Twilight. He was but an egg then, and she was attempting to gain entry to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. During her entrance examination, his egg was rolled in on a cart and placed in front of her without explanation. The idea behind this was that dragons were very skilled at certain innate magicks, especially while still in the egg. Twilight, for entrance exam, was to utilize any magic she could in an effort to spark a reaction from the egg, and depending on his reaction, the examiners would aptly be able to decide on whether to grant her access. At first it seemed like a lost cause for the unicorn foal, until a enormous magical spike of energy caused the egg to hatch prematurely, and if it was not for the caliber of her magic, and an impromptu aging spell (as he said, it was an enormous magical spike) he might've died. After the Princess her herself came and calmed her down, she offered to take Twilight under her wing and help her to tame her magic. With nopony else willing to take the baby dragon ("Hmph! Dragons, you can never trust them, shifty lot they are. That dragon will cause a lot of trouble I tell you!") Twilight laid claim to him, and raised him. It was not as easy as it sounds for Twilight to adopt Spike, but those dealings are not important, and for the sake of sanity best left unsaid.

Spike knew the location of every book in the library, but hesitated to steal Twilight's distraction away from her. For now the mare had taken whatever caused her pain and archived it into some part of her mind in an effort to forget it, and searching for a book was one of the few things that ever caused the unicorn to become oblivious, another being reading. No, he opted to stay on the top shelves, and let his friend below search to her heart's content. Besides, it would take her awhile. her collection of Daring Do books were archived under "Fantasy" and "Adventure", and right now she was going through the entirety of "Historical Significance".

The rest of the morning and following noon and afternoon passed by rather quickly. Around lunchtime, just before Spike retreated to the kitchen and Twilight moved on from "Historical Significance" to "Mystery" and "Drama", Time Turner arrived to present Fluttershy the flowers he picked for her, and she flawlessly pulled off a pretense of immediate surprise at the flattery, much to his pleasure. Nothing interesting really happened, until Spike left for the kitchen to serve up some lunch.

That was when Applejack returned.

The bell above the door rang, drawing Twilight out of her stupor. She turned around to see the cowgirl jaunt in, coat glistening with fresh sweat.

"Hi Applejack! Anything I can do help you? Or were you looking for a book?"

"Hi Applejack!" came the small voice of Fluttershy.

"Howdy ya'll. I just came back t' pick up mah hat. I must of left it 'round here somewheres," she said, observing the room at large. Her grass-green eyes landed on the dun colored eyes of Time Turner, and the temperature in the room dropped. Applejack's eye twitched ever so slightly before drawing off to the opposite side of the room, where Rainbow Dash slept, curled up on the stairs with a stetson wrapped over her head.

She promptly trotted over and (carefully) pulled the hat off of Rainbow and onto her her own head. The sudden burst of light woke the cyan mare, who blinked at first at Applejack, then to the stetson resting on her crown, then back to the glare Applejack was giving her. She smiled sheepishly when she realized why Applejack was glaring at her.

"Um... morning, A.J.?"

Applejack raised a brow at this. "Mornin'? It ain't been mornin' fer a few hours now. How long you been asleep?" Rainbow Dash returned her quizzical stare before studying the clock nearby. After a minute or so, she yawned and turned to Twilight, eyes pleading. Twilight rolled hers and sighed. She really must get around to teaching her how to read a simple clock. Seriously, it was ridiculous.

"It's two o'clock." Rainbow grunted her gratitude, and, yawning, curled back up, plopping a hoof over her nose.

Then in a burst of energy she shot back up, fully alert. "TWO O'CLOCK? Oh ponyfeathers, I'm late for my shift!" Then blew through the library's door at a superequine speed.

"Uh... see ya?" said Applejack, putting the hat back on her head, still staring at where the pegasus disappeared.

"Oh, I hope she doesn't get in trouble..."

"Don't worry now, I'm sure she'll be fine," Time Turner offered, then added when Fluttershy did not seem assured, "She can clear the sky in 'ten seconds flat', now how about that? They're not going to get rid of their fastest weather mare on account of being late."

"Besides, Rainbow's one of their top pegasi's. If they were gonna lay her off, they woulda done it years ago back when late mornin' naps was a problem fer her. By now her bosses are probably used to her showing up late; she sure makes up for it," said Applejack, putting in her two bits.

Fluttershy pondered this, seeming cheered by the assurances. At least, a smile appeared on her face and she began to giggle. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's so funny, Fluttershy?"

"I don't think Rainbow has to worry about being laid off..."

"There, see? Nothing to worry your head about-"

"Seeing as it's a Saturday." Everyone stopped. Each shared glances with one another before smiles broke out amongst them, followed by chuckling and giggling. It felt good to laugh. The joyous moment ended abruptly however, when Applejack caught Time Turner's eye and immediately stopped giggling. Time Turner followed suit, and it was not fun having a laugh when two friends were left out. Applejack's reaction to Time Turner did not go unnoticed by Twilight though. Twilight had opened her mouth to (hopefully) quietly interrogate her on the subject, but was interrupted by Spike waking out of a makeshift kitchen in an adorable and most unbecoming apron.

"Lunch is ready!" he called to the crowd of ponies.

Well, Twilight thought, it can wait until later. The five ponies (where did Pinkie Pie come from?) and dragon emptied into the kitchen, where the dragon served them delicious grilled sandwiches, made with succulent daisies and poppies.


	2. Nightmares And Alicorns

CHAPTER II

NIGHTMARES AND ALICORNS

"Hold on! I'm a-comin'!"

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, until the afternoon. After lunch, Applejack and Time Turner got into a fight that no one else was there to witness the beginning of. What it was about was unknown to all present, and possibly lost to those involved as well. After the verbal war, Applejack abruptly left (and nopony faulted her for this), but not before proposing to Twilight a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres.

Not long after a customer arrived, reminding Twilight that her house of residence was, in fact, a fully functioning library. While she preoccupied herself fulfilling her job as a librarian and seeing to the colt's book-related needs, Fluttershy and her stallion decided to take their leave and make their way back to Fluttershy's Cottage ("before Angel gets it into his head to give Discord a run for his money," as Time Turner put it).

Pinkie also returned home to the twins, which, after the colt left with his order of books, left Twilight and Spike to themselves.

Spike found that to be utterly boring. And so, to relieve his unrequited boredom, he pitched the prospect of an afternoon picnic to Twilight. After a few minutes of playful banter that gave the dragon hope things were back to normal, the unicorn caved in, and agreed.

After an argument that involved gems, an owl, and cucumber sandwiches, the duo found themselves delighting in supper consisting of daisy and daffodil sandwiches, (courtesy of Spike), on a checkered towel underneath a large, mushroom-shaped tree. A family of pegasi were also vacationing on the ground under the same tree, enjoying a picnic of vegetables and cow milk.

Celestia's sun had just abandoned its midday perch, and was resting a couple inches to the west. This cast a shadow over Twilight and Spike, shading them from the warmth of the sun bearing down, but regardless they were able to enjoy the beauty of day from afar as the warmth was carried to them on a light breeze tinged with a comfortable chill.

Other ponies had also taken the time to enthrall themselves with the beauty of nature that existed around the local park. Some paced the trails at a slow trot; a few accounted for the whispers of the trees as the wind blew, carrying the conversations from tree to tree; new couples caught up in the novelty of each other's gazes; and some listened to the songs of the birds, matching their tune and singing in harmony with them.

For Spike and Twilight the afternoon passed by in a blissful silence. They each enjoyed their meals, taking comfort in each other's presence. Twilight would observe the scenes unfolding around her, calculating and analyzing the expressions and reactions and moods of the ponies nearby, and Spike could see it in her that she was trying to somehow turn equine behavior into an equation.

Spike busied himself watching Twilight. Time had passed since the morning, but still he had an uneasy feeling. He worried for her, and as she studied others he studied her. For the longest time Twilight was the only friend he had–not because he was anti-social outcast, but because all of his time was spent caring and being cared for by one. Twilight Sparkle was many things to Spike, most of which could be summed up as surrogate mother and adopted sister. As he looked at her, reminding himself of the pain she was in earlier, a sadness welled up inside him. Standing up, he tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around to look at him, he wrapped his arms around her foreleg, squeezing it slightly. Twilight winced at the sharpness of his claws, but ignored it and put a hoof around him as well. Spike glanced up into her eyes, and Twilight smiled down at him.

"Thank you, Spike," Twilight sniffed. Together they curled up on the grass, watching the clouds as they passed on by.

The shadow that was over them passed, descending onto the nearby pegasi as they packed their leftovers and disappeared.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Twilight was surrounded by black. Shadows? Or night? She could not tell–wherever she was, time seemed to be irrelevant. She stared off into the empty space, peering into the abyss around her although she could not see anything beyond her nose. Twilight came to the realization that she was quite literally alone. Nothing existed but her alone... but she wasn't alone. As she stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back at her, and Twilight became increasingly aware of the shadows around her. She strained her ears, and swore she picked up the sounds of whispering from far off, but as soon and she turned to look, it stopped.

Then it appeared again behind her–No! It was not behind her, but next to her–but it was not. Twilight continued to prance around the eerie blackness, searching for the source of the existential whispers. They were taunting her! Toying with her! But, who? There was no "they"! Nopony was there. Twilight gazed into the dark, studying it. Nothing moved, yet the longer she stared, the more the darkness itself seemed to move. She snapped her gaze away, but to no avail–there was nothing to look away to! Everywhere she turned was the same inky blackness, present even when she closed her eyes.

Twilight did what came to her naturally–she cast a spell. At least, she tried to. Whether her magic refused to work, or the darkness was so great it engulfed any and all light, her spell failed. No light was cast from her horn, and as a chill began to claw at her skin, she could hear the whispering coming closer and closer. It was directly behind her, and as she turned around she knew there would be nothing, and she was right. Twilight turned completely around, and the whispering stopped, only to reappear a short ways to the right.

Straining her ears again, she could almost make out what the sounds were. It was sharp, high-pitched, and airy, almost like the mischievous giggle of a foal. But, there was more. Deep down, below the laughing, was words. Try as she might, she could not quite make them out. It almost sounded like chanting...

Dam... or... 'E'? Dam or 'E', ori, or Demo Re? Damo Re? Was she mishearing it, or was she misunderstanding it? Was it even an Equestrian language!? But, there was more. Ow... nor. She repeated it over and over in her head, but it always sounded like gibberish. It was useless. The words 'ow' and 'nor' did not make a lick of sense put together like that. Maybe she heard it wrong. What the hay was going–

Everything went quiet.

Fear crept back in as the eerie silence took its toll on her mind. Once again, she was alone in the dark, but, as Twilight stared deeply into the shadows, she came to a disturbing revelation. She was not alone in the dark, she was alone with the dark. Tendrils of shadow grasped at her skin, its touch sending a cascade of ice flowing through her veins. She tried to run, but the shadows' grip was too strong. She was stuck, fear groping her and squeezing the life from her body.

The whispers returned, taunting her as she was slowly asphyxiated.

Damorii au'nor... Damorii au'nor... Damorii au'nor...

Years passed as her mind mind grew numb, unable to form thoughts... to think... to... maybe it was time to die. Yes, death seemed appropriate. Her thoughts became silent as she awaited the fall into endless sleep. She was so tired... her mind so quiet... just a void... a void that needed to be filled. But, what was there to replace it?

Damorii au'nor... Damorii au'nor... Damorii au'nor...

Yes... yes! Please... Damorii au'nor! The whispers ceased around her, no longer outside. They filled the void, filled her mind, became her mind! Damorii au'nor! She chanted along with the whispers, her voice now one of many, indistinct from the many others. She became part of the whispers, and they became a part of her. She could not think another thought but what the voices told her. Why would she want to? To disobey was to belong to the void once more, and she did not want that. There was no other thoughts than the whispers, the voices. Damorii au'nor!

What did it mean? What did it matter? It was all she knew, and it was all that mattered. Damorii au'nor! Damorii au'nor! Damorii au'nor!

Then why did it feel so wrong?

Then she fell.

Twilight woke up with a start, although thankfully not as intense as yesterday night. Her breathing was, for the most part, normal, and there was a thankful lack of a headache. A quick glance around assured her that she was home. No more darkness, no more pain. The sun shone brightly through her window, casting everything in the room in light. Nothing was hidden here, no shadows, no secrets, no whispers. This was a safe place, a sanctuary.

In light of this observation, she traveled downstairs to cook herself breakfast. The white light shone through all of the library's windows, leaving nothing in the dark. Motes of dust floated just visibly through the beams of light, and all was quiet. All was safe. All was tranquil.

Twilight began to search for a book to read. After all, what fun was there eating alone, without anything to keep the mind company? What book to read, what book to read... After careful consideration, Twilight found herself lounging in her bed, reading a book she could no longer remember the name of. A grilled daisy and cheese sandwich laid next to her, on its own bed of ceramic glass. A black glow surrounded it, and Twilight took a bite of it before returning her lunch to its resting place.

She looked out the single window in her room to Celestia's sun hanging in the center of the sky. There was no doubt that, with the right tools that she may or may not have access to, the studios unicorn could prove if the sun truly did sit in the center of the sky, but at the moment she only cared for the comforting and familiar warmth that it extended unto her.

Twilight turned her gaze to the city underneath. Everywhere lay thatched-roof houses, dotted across the town. Ponyville was such a peaceful place, the home of her friends. She watched the streets, and nothing moved to disturb the quiescence of the scene before her. The sun above seemed to wash everything in a white haze, and all was quiet. All was safe. All was tranquil.

Twilight closed the book she was reading (A Hearth's Warming Eve Story) and walked casually outside. The streets of Canterlot were beautiful; there were no cracks in the whitewashed stones of the road she trotted on, the colors of the walls of the towers and buildings around her were all of a pleasant uniformity, the inlaid borders of gold polished to reflect the white of the sun and cast it over all.

A lovely breeze cooled her, causing her mane to sway, and the wind whispered comforting things to her. All is quiet. All is safe. All is tranquilI.

And it was: The silence around her filled her with nostalgia–it was akin to the quiet she enjoyed in her old library. The familiarity of all around her brought back a sense of security–this was where she grew up, this was her home. And both of these things brought with them a sense of intimate peace. This was her sanctuary.

Turning her back on the view before her, Twilight trotted up the curved stairs that led to the upper floor balcony of her old Canterlot home. The smell of books lingered up here, from musty old tomes to freshly printed paper. Layering the walls of the protege's chambers were numerous bookcases, each packed tightly with enough books that, all together, could fill the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. Each book was in pristine condition, and they were always cared for. When Twilight wasn't studying, then every tome and scroll was carefully put back in its correct place. However, this wasn't the case now. On the floor, nearby a ladder that rested against the bookshelf it belonged to, was a dusty book.

As she made her way to replace the book back where it belonged, she noticed the large hourglass that stood tall in the center of her balcony. It was a day-long hourglass, ending at sunset, and magically resetting itself at sunrise. As of right now, the sand on top was almost gone. Twilight checked outside, and sure enough, the sun was just caressing the horizon.

A black glow covered the book as the unicorn magically picked up the tome, and a dark haze thickened the air as she blew several layers of dust off of the cover. She gazed at the front, curious as to what book it was. The Mare in the Moon: The Tragic Tale of Nightmare Moon and Other Legendary Stories, by Inkstroke. This was a book she had read a few years ago, the same one that brought to her attention the possible reality of Nightmare Moon's existence, which turned out to be correct. The lavender librarian allowed herself to sucumb to nostalgia, and opened the tome and flipped through it.

As she expected, the recounting of Nightmare Moon's fall was the very first excerpt. Flipping a few pages ahead, she found a story based around Discord's reign. How curious, the Hearth's Warming Eve tale was included. There was also a story about an invincible monster called the "Smooze", what kind of name was that? And finally, a heavily abridged version of Orponyus's descent into Tartarus.

Twilight closed the book, glancing back to the hourglass as the last grain fell, coinciding with the very tip of Celestia's sun disappearing beyond the horizon. In that moment, three very disturbing things happened.

Both halves of the hourglass glowed; the top a bright white shaded with a golden yellow, and the bottom a blood red encasing a black mist. In between both of them, at the point where both halves met, glowed a brilliant blue orb.

The large castle doors that gave entrance to her chambers slammed shut with a resounding boom, and no matter how hard she tried, Twilight could not open them. She tried using her magic, first to pull it open, then to try and blast it open. Neither worked, and so the unicorn resorted to wrapping her hooves around one of the thick handles and tried to pry it open physically. Years of depending on her excessive assortment of spells had left her rather... soft, and so the door did not budge an inch.

Unable to provoke the slightest reaction from the large blue doors (which might have well been one solid blue wall with handles for decor), Twilight began to panic. She backed away from the door, frantically searching for another escape. The window caught her eye. It was possible, she would have to be extremely lucky, and potentially painful, but she just might be able to make it with enough magic on her end.

A black glow surrounded her horn as she prepared any spell that would either slow her descent, or help her survive the fall. With the spells in mind, she began to charge at the wall-sized pane of glass, but was frozen in her tracks by the third thing.

Night had come, but it wasn't the moon rising into the sky. In its place was a dark orb, and it was growing. Tendrils of familiar darkness wound their way through the world outside, consuming everything in their path. The shadows swarmed the towns below, and Twilight watched in horror as Appleloosa was desecrated, some unholy presence being blanketed over the buildings, corrupting its very structure.

Next, frozen in terror, she was forced to watch Ponyville consumed. The unicorn could only gaze as the place she loved, her home, became a throne for this sentient, dark entity.

It did not stop with the place she grew to love. The tendrils, now more like sheets of evil, continued to grasp and strangle everything in sight. Baltimare, Vanhoover, Manehattan, nowhere was safe. Not even the Everfree Forest, with all of its own incomprehensible madness, could sway the oncoming storm.

Hours passed by in seconds, and seconds passed by in hours as she witnessed the consumption of Equestria. And then, finally, it came for the last standing city. Canterlot.

Shocked back into action, Twilight galloped back to the door, begging it to open for her as she yanked on the handle with all her might. The white spires turned gray and cracked at the touch of the ethereal shadows. Even with her combination of physical force and magic, the doors did not allow her exit.

"Please!" she cried out, "Please! It's coming! Please open up!"

The room was cast into shadow as the window was coated in inky blackness.

"Please! I don't want to die! Open up!" The door did not answer.

There was a loud explosion, the shattering of glass, as the window blew, tendrils of unholy darkness seeping in from outside.

"PLEASE! PLEASE OPEN UP!" Twilight stopped yanking on the doors, resorting to banging them pathetically with her hooves.

They slithered on the floor, taking their time and working their way to the helpless unicorn slowly. The darkness enjoyed her fear, it thrived on it.

"PLEASE HELP ME! SOMETHING IS COMING!" With those three words, accented by the banging of her hooves, the doors opened. Beyond them was a swirling sea of sentient darkness, whispers and screams echoing from the depths as Twilight realised her mistake.

"Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor, "Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor, "Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor...

Numerous tentacles whipped out from the abyss, wrapping themselves around her form, dragging her closer and closer to the edge as the whispers and screams grew louder and louder.

"Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor, "Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor, "Damorii au'nor," Damorii au'nor!

Twilight struggled against the grip on her, pushing her hooves into the ground in an effort to find some sort of grip, but to no avail. She was yanked off the edge, thrown into the darkness below, cries echoing around her as she fell into the dismal abyss.

"Damorii... au'nor'ii!"

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

The sound of the rooster crowing was not a novelty to Applejack, not in a long time. Since she could remember the rooster's crow had always been the signal for her to awaken. Sometimes she would even wake up before, and would watch out of her window as the bird settled on top of her family's barn, waiting for it's unmistakable, "cock-a-doodle-doo!" signifying the beginning of her day. Today was one of those such days.

Just as she had found it hard to fall asleep that evening, equally so she found it hard to stay asleep that morning. Something was bothering her, but she could not tell what. It was some sort of pressure on her heart, causing her to ache for some poor soul, but that may have been for the lavender unicorn sprawled out on the mattress set up near her.

Twilight had taken Applejack up on her offer of a sleepover, and the cowgirl was glad she did. There was something off about what had taken place yesterday morning, something terribly wrong. Perhaps that was what kept her mind from the joy of dreaming. Growing up, she had plenty of nightmares, especially after her ma and pa died. Many a night she spent in a cold sweat, each time subjected to the darker side of the mind as it gave her a new way to lose her parents every time.

She also had her own share from the other side, taking care of those lost in their own horrific delusions. Applebloom, when she was younger, would sometimes wake up in tears, seeking the comfort of parents, but having to suffice with the love from her siblings–not that they did not make up for it.

In either case, never before had Applejack ever witnessed a reaction like that of Twilight's. It was abnormal, unnatural. The sheer terror that resided in the unicorn's eyes was unlike anything the farm pony had ever seen. As curious as she was to know what could have caused such dismay in the protege of the Princess, something of that magnitude was best left alone. Nothing good could come from something like that.

The mare tossed and turned in her bed, the posts squeaking with every movement as she tried to find a comfortable position to lay in as she awaited the crow of the rooster. Finally, she sat up. Nothing was going to take, and if she could not be comfortable then there was no purpose to staying in bed. Pushing herself off, she made for the door, stepping over the prone form of Twilight Sparkle.

Applejack observed the unicorn lying on her mattress. She looked so calm and quiet, a looked she deserved to have after the previous morning. As Applejack quietly observed the unicorn resting on the spare mattress, she took notice of something off.

Twilight lay still, but too still; there was no tell-tale rise and fall as the mare's body unconsciously breathed in her slumber.

"No no no no no!" Applejack whispered under her breath as she brought an orange hoof under the unicorn's snout. No breath. Twilight was not breathing! "No no no no no!"

She quickly pressed an ear to the mare's still form, searching for some kind of sign to prove her dear friend was still alive, still fighting. Whatever had come over Twilight in her sleep, whatever had caused this, it had to be related to yesterday morning, Applejack was sure of it. The similarities were too great for them to be a coincidence.

The farm pony was not sure what to make of what she heard. There was a heartbeat coming from her friend's chest, but it was off. Wrong, abnormal, something that should not be. She counted out the beats, first in her head, then by tapping them out with a hoof to make sure what she was hearing was correct. Tap tap tap, tap tap. Three beats, then two. It repeated, the heartbeat constant but wrong. Twilight was alive, but how alive Applejack could not fathom. Then, there was the task of getting her to breathe, without which she would not be alive for much longer.

Showcasing her natural earth pony strength, Applejack flipped the unicorn onto her back with an unceremonious flop. She beat a hoof on the mare's chest, praying that somehow that would work, but it was in vain.

"Twi'! C'mon, Twi', wake up! Wake up!" Applejack tried to recall back to a conversation she and Nurse Redheart once had. She could not remember what had initiated the conversation, but Redheart certainly brought up a procedure in case a pony stopped breathing. The mare wracked her brain for a precious second, before she remembered: thirty presses, two breaths.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, and got to work. Applejack positioned herself over Twilight, pressing both hooves into her chest and she counted off in her head. One, two, three, four, five, six. There was a dull thumping as Big Macintosh trotted into her room.

"Aren't ya going–" The muscular red stallion froze when he saw his sister bent over the unmoving unicorn, pumping her hooves into Twilight's chest. "What's wrong?"

Ten, eleven, twelve. "She ain't breathin' Mac! She ain't breathin'!" Applejack continued to stare down at her friend beneath her, not daring to look away at her brother, but she did not need to to see his eyes widen. Fifteen, sixteen.

"Big Mac! What's takin' Applejack so long? I'm hungry!" Applebloom's voice carried in from the hallway.

"Don't let her in! She can't see this!" Applejack commanded her brother, but he had already taken the initiative, moving his body so as to block the doorway and the occupants from view.

"Stay out!" His deep voice boomed in the dark hallway, but his kid sister would have none of it. The filly fought against the might of her older, and much larger brother, to no avail. But she had heard enough in his voice to understand something bad was happening, and her foalish curiosity was getting the better of her. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three.

"What's wrong? What's goin' on? Is somepony hurt? Who is it?"

"I said stay out!"

Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! With the thirty count up, Applejack pushed back Twilight's head and pulled open her mouth. Her mind could not process what she was about to do with her friend, but the farm mare ignored that and took a deep breath, emptying the air into the unicorn's lungs. Another breath, and Applejack returned back to pumping Twilight's chest.

"What's goin' on up here? Are any of ya goin' t' eat?" came the voice of Granny Smith.

"Somepony's hurt and Big Mac won't let me in!" Five, six, seven, eight.

"Who is it, Mac, who's hurt?" Eleven, twelve, thirteen.

"Twilight," answered Big Macintosh.

"Twilight's hurt? C'mon, Big Mac, I want t' see her!" Eighteen, nineteen, twenty–snap! Applejack cried out in alarm, tears breaking through her mental dam when she heard a hollow crack resonate from Twilight's chest, and she could feel the mare's rib snap under her hoof.

"Nope!"

Applejack tore her eyes away from the unicorn for the first time, turning to her brother barricading the doorway, "Big Mac, take Applebloom an' go get Nurse Redheart! NOW!" Applejack cried, not sure what to do. She continued on, praying to Celestia that she was not damaging Twilight more. Twenty-two, twenty-three.

"But I want t' see–"

"You heard yer sister, get goin'!" Commanded the elder Apple.

"C'mon, Applebloom."

"But–" she protested, but Big Mac would have none of it.

"C'mon!" he bellowed, and his sister knew better than to argue with him any more. He butted the filly onto his head, and cantered out of the room; Granny Smith and Applejack could hear their porch door crack under the pressure it was forced open with, but neither could care at the moment.

Applejack pressed her lips to Twilight once more, her tears staining the unicorn's coat as she desperately tried to breathe life back into her. One breath, then a second. Time sounded through Applejack's mind as she fought back, the seconds ticking away, teasing her, taunting her. Tick tock goes the clock. Tick, tock; One, two; tick, tock; three, four. Once more she repeated the process, each second ticking away the chance of Twilight waking up–each second another chest compression, meant to bring her closer to life, yet dragging her father away.

On Applejack's third attempt, Twilight jolted awake, crying out in both pain in fear. The lavender mare clung to her savior, sobbing into the farm mare's shoulder as her side trembled from the broken rib. Applejack heard Granny Smith behind her breathe a sigh of relief, and she herself let her own emotions flow out as well, cuddling the broken mare in her hooves.

"Why? Why is this happening to me, Applejack?" Twilight half-sobbed, half whispered into her ear after a moment of quiet.

"I don't know sugarcube, I wish I did, I really do; but we're here for ya', all of us. We'll always be here for ya."

Twilight merely whimpered in response, hugging Applejack closer.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Twilight stared at the simple meal before her. Only the most nutritious foods were carefully laid out on what was probably the cleanest plate she had ever witnessed, each serving having been prepared under the utmost scrutiny, so as to neither malnourish nor over-nourish her beyond an extra gram. Celestia forbid she actually feel full after a meal. She learned after the first day that Applejack had lied when she called the food "hoof-licking good."

Reluctantly, she drank the sour liquid meant to be juice, and nibbled at the tasteless green mash before giving up; she was not hungry anyway. Whatever hunger existed within was extinguished by the pain in her chest when she moved.

Slowly she rested her head against the pine backboard, so as to not agitate her rib more than was necessary. Closing her eyes, Twilight tried to rest, but the ticking of the clock facing her was only outdone by the constant beep from the heart monitor, and the ostentatious snoring from the other side of the curtain. She pulled out the pillow, pulling over her face to muffle her scream.

Once upon a time she would have read a book to relieve her boredom, but today was her third day here, and she had already exhausted the hospital's collection of books–twice. Her muffled scream turned to quiet sobs as her rib flared. The doctor had taken her off morphine yesterday, opting to use oxycodone for the rest of her stay. The drug was administered by pill, and only every six hours. She still had two more hours to go, and the effects were already wearing off.

There was a soft knock on the ward door, alerting its residents to the presence of a white mare. She glanced disdainfully at Twilight's untouched meal before trotting up to her bed.

"Hello, Nurse Redheart," the unicorn said as she tucked the pillow back underneath herself.

"Hello, Ms. Sparkle. I see your meds have started to wear off?" the earth pony replied, giving her patient a pitiable look. Twilight acknowledged her with a nod. "I'm so sorry, dear. I'm here to let you know your friends have stopped by, perhaps they can give you some comfort."

"I,"–Twilight sniffed–"Would love that."

Nurse Redheart smiled. "I'll send them right in," she said in a calm, soothing voice before opening the birchwood door, calling out to the ponies behind it, "She'll see you now, dearies!" The white earth pony moved out of the way as a equally white unicorn mare trotted in, an orange cowpony shuffling behind her. "You three have fun now!" the nurse said, closing the door behind her as she left.

An awkward silence descended between the three mares, Rarity throwing glances at Twilight and Applejack, and the latter refusing to meet Twilight's eyes. Deciding it fell to her to break the silence, Rarity prodded Applejack in the shoulder. "Well," she said, "Go on."

Twilight turned her attention to the orange mare sitting across from her, holding her stetson shamefully in front of her face. "I jus' wanted to say that Ah'm sorry fer... ya know, breaking yer rib." Applejack pulled herself from behind her hat, looking Twilight in the eye as she continued, "Ah'm so sorry Twi', if I'd known that was gonna happen, I would've, I dunno, but I would've tried to stop–"

Twilight raised a hoof, smiling. "Applejack, I forgive you. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, I would probably be in much worse shape. I'm glad a broken rib is all I have to contend with."

"See?" Rarity said, turning to Applejack. "That wasn't too hard, was it?"

Applejack groaned, then sighed. "Thanks for coming, Rare'."

"You're welcome," Rarity singsonged.

It seemed her act of repentance brought upon a new confidence in Applejack, or perhaps it was merely her own brash behavior surfacing when, looking at Twilight's mostly-untouched 'lunch', she asked, "Are ya gonna finish that?"

Twilight gave her answer by pushing the mobile platform over toward the mare, who proceeded to scarf down the tasteless mash. Rarity could not look away from the spectacle, staring at the farm mare with a horrified expression. Applejack looked up only long enough to say, "Wha'? It's goo' ea'in'," causing Rarity's expression to become even more horrified.

Twilight giggled, the pressure on her chest eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from the mare, and the other two mares stopped what they were doing.

"Twilight, are you alright darling?"

"I'll... I'll be fine, Rarity."

Applejack swallowed the mush still left in her mouth. "Are ya sure, sugarcube? 'Cause ya don't look it."

Twilight forced a smile. "All I need is a little rest."

Rarity and Applejack shared a look before the latter said, "Well, if yer sure. We'll come back t'morrow t' see ya, promise."

"And we'll bring along the other girls as well!" added Rarity.

Twilight sunk back into her pillow, a genuine smile working its way across her face. "Sounds like a plan."

There was a slight hesitation between the door opening and the sound of the lock clicking, and then they were gone.

Twilight closed her eyes, trying to hardest to follow through with her own suggestion, but try as she might, she could not. It was not until a few hours later when the nurse returned with her medication that she was finally able to sleep. She flushed the small, white pill with a generous swig of the provided water, and succumbed into a pseudo bliss.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Within the next couple days Twilight had been released from the hospital, with a month's dosage of oxycodone pills, a note telling her to take half of one every six hours (and after a week, cut down to half of one every eight hours), and the order to not over-exert herself under any circumstances.

Since the incident at Applejack's house, Twilight had spent the last few nights dream- and nightmare-free. She owed this to the power of the drugs she had been given, and had used her peaceful free time to dissect those illicit dreams she had. While the details themselves were lost to her, as she tried against her better judgement to recall the visions, the only constant that appeared in her mind was the word "Alicorn". Every time, without fail, when she dwelled on what was better left alone, alicorns came to mind.

Twilight could not fathom why, even when she turned away from her dreams and mulled over this new revelation. What connection did the princesses have with her dreams?

"So, what are you thinking about?" said a male voice from her side. Twilight started when she remembered the presence of Time Turner, who had been tasked to walk her home from the Ponyville Hospital. She turned her attention to the brown stallion beside her, embarrassed that she had been ignoring him this entire time.

"Alicorns." Twilight was not sure why she said it; she had meant to blow it off as nothing but meanless daydreaming, but some unknown force made her speak her mind. Perhaps all the stress from the past week was catching up to her.

"Now, there's a tentative subject if I've ever heard one. What about the alicorns has got your mind?" His voice was smooth, and conversational. He always like listening to her lectures (and if he did not, then he hid it well), and she enjoyed having him there to comment on her ideas.

"Where did the princesses come from?" Once more Twilight was unaware why she was divulging her own mind to the stallion, but she had to admit it was nice not having to horde these thoughts. Actually, now that she thought about it, it may have been the high from her medicine causing this.

"They have ruled Equestria for the last thousand years – perhaps more – benevolently. They even brought peace to the three pony tribes and united our country, but, has anypony ever asked where did they come from?"

Time Turner put a hoof to his chin. "Hm, that could lead to a dangerous thought pattern. Somepony not as smart as you could mistake it for anarchy."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. "How so?"

"Well, you're questioning where they come from, and by proxy, whether you meant to or not, you're also questioning their integrity."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she dwelled on what he said. "But, I wouldn't do something like that!"

The stallion put up both hooves defensively. "Oh, I know you wouldn't. But I'm only one of many, and while most will dismiss it because of your position, some will see it as a challenge to their right to rule, rather than an honest inquiry."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" The scenery around them changed as the two entered Ponyville proper. No longer were they surrounded by trees and grassland, but now thatched-roof clay buildings of all sizes, and stalls selling a variety of items.

"Oh, come now, you're smarter than that," he scoffed. Twilight threw a peeved look at him. "You're Princess Celestia's personal protege, aren't you?"

"But, wouldn't that seem a little, invasive? That would be like me asking you how you were born."

"To which you would receive a very unique response."

"Exactly!"

"But you are her protege, and well known for your intense curiosity. I believe she will forgive you inquiring of a previously unexplored subject; I'd dare say she'd expect it of you."

Before Twilight could respond, the two had arrived at the Golden Oaks Library.

"Well, thank you for your company. You've given me something to think about."

She threw her magic around the door handle, but Time Turner grabbed it first, opening the door for her and bowed his head as he gestured into the large tree. "Please, allow me, Miss Twilight." He enunciated her name louder than necessary, but Twilight decided to play along.

"Why, thank you, Sir Time Tur–" She was cut off by a loud explosion of color and light and sound. The entire room had been decorated with streamers and ribbons matching Twilight's coat and mane, and balloons of the same colors stamped with her cutie mark were tied to every ballast possible, and some were just left to float on the ceiling. A large banner hung from one end of the room to the other side, welcoming her back home and wishing her well.

"SURPRISE!" screamed the conglomeration of ponies crowded together in the center of the room. Her eyes scanned the crowd, easily picking out the one pony she expected. Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, you didn't have to," Twilight said, unable to hide the huge smile on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow Dash begrudgingly hand over a few bits to a smug Applejack.

"Well of course I did!"

"GAH!" screamed Twilight as Pinkie appeared right next to her.

"How could I have welcomed home my bestest unicorn pal Twilight without a huge-o-mongo Welcome Home Party?!" Pinkie explained, throwing a bunch of confetti in the air with her usual flair.

"C'mon, Twi', you gotta know Pinkie better than that by now!" said a voice from up above. Twilight looked up, and saw Rainbow Dash flip back right-side up, and land next to her. The cyan mare offered her hoof for a hoof-bump to the silent stallion. "Thanks for bringing her here, Time. We owe you one!"

Time Turned accepted the hoof-bump, then made off towards the ostentatious crowd.

"Off to find your muse?" Twilight called to him, and he answered with a nod of his head.

"I think I saw her near the punch bowl," offered Rainbow. Time Turner gestured his thanks, and trotted away. The three mares silently watched him walk off, before Rainbow turned to Twilight.

"Y'know, it's almost creepy how much he hangs around her."

"Oh, come on now, Rainbow, they're just a couple in love," softly chided Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow rolled her eyes. "But, don't you think he's a little... awkward?"

"Awkward, how?" asked Twilight. The two stopped at the punch table, and Twilight ladled a generous helping of Pinkie's trademark party punch into two glasses, and handed the second one over to the pegasus beside her. Before she answered, Rainbow glanced around, locking her eyes on something for a short moment before returning attention to the unicorn mare before her.

"Y'know, the way he just stops talking and, like, quietly judges you or something? Or like at parties, where he kinda stands away from the crowd and just... watches everypony?"

Now it was Twilight's turn to roll her eyes. "He's just shy. Shy and intelligent; perfect for Fluttershy, wouldn't you think?"

"Intelligent?" Rainbow regarded the mare before her with a inquisitive stare. "Wait a sec, you're crushing on him?" The pegasus burst into laughter, banging a hoof on the ground. Twilight's cheeks burned as she turned on Rainbow with a hard glare.

"What? You mean how you would run your eyes all over him back when he and Fluttershy first met?" The effect was immediate.

"Woah," Rainbow said, all sign of raucous laughter gone. "Low blow there, Twi'."

"Sorry," Twilight said sheepishly.

"It's cool, Twi'." Rainbow scratched at the back of her head, ruffling her mane. "And, I'm sorry too."

Twilight offered her hoof. "Are we... 'cool'?"

Rainbow chuckled as she bumped Twilight's hoof. "Yeah, we're cool."

The pegasus mare glanced back out at to what caught her eye before, holding her gaze a little longer this time. Curious, Twilight plopped herself right next to her friend, starring in the same general direction.

"What are you looking at?" Rainbow nodded her head to the corner of the room. Twilight scanned that area of the room before finally finding what had caught her friend's eye: Fluttershy and Time Turner lay next to eachother, the mare giggling as the stallion pouted over the spilled drink staining his coat, feebly trying to rub it off with a hoof.

"So, how's your chest feeling?" Rainbow asked, pointing a hoof at the mass of white bandages encasing Twilight's midsection.

"The pills are helping dull a lot of the pain," Twilight replied. "Else I'd imagine it would be painful to merely breathe." Rainbow winced at that, pressing a hoof under one of her own ribs reflexively.

"Yeah, I remember when I broke a rib."

"You've broken a rib?" Twilight turned, facing the pegasus.

"It was before you came here, back when I really didn't know anypony. I was out in the fields outside of Ponyville, practicing some wicked moves. During one of them, I threw my wing out in a bank, and hit a wind tunnel that shot me down into this huge pile of rocks." Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder.

"Oh, Rainbow..."

"Yeah... I was reckless back then," Rainbow said, earning an amused glare from Twilight. "Alright, I still am reckless. But now I have guidelines I follow!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?"

"Like: Never practice without somepony there to watch!"

The mare giggled at her friend's ego. In the two years she had lived in Ponyville, never had Rainbow Dash once beheld herself as a spectacle without a substantial audience cheering her on. Rainbow joined her for a spell before abruptly stopping, giving Twilight a serious look that in all the years she had known the pegasus she had never witnessed cross the mare's face before.

Twilight halted, startled by her sudden change in demeanor. "Er... what?"

"It's just, those pills they gave you... be careful with them. They can be..." Rainbow bit her lip. "Addictive."

The unicorn merely stood there staring at her friend, still taken aback. "Uh," she murmured, realizing she had been silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

With the once joyous mood between them tarnished, Rainbow opted to go hunt down Applejack and join her, leaving Twilight alone. She could only watch as the cyan mare trotted away, contemplating her last words.

(_/-.-\(_)/-.-\_)

Dear Princess Celestia,

During the last week I have been having nightmares that I believe may contain some deeper meaning, and I am hoping that either you or Princess Luna would be gracious enough to shed some light on the matter.

The subliminal messages that I can sense in their aftermath greatly worry me, but to what extent I cannot hope to grasp, as whatever inclination I arrive at seems to disappear along with the memories of my dream shortly after.

I understand that your position as Princess entails a great many tasking jobs, and as I do not want you to feel obligated, please feel free to reply whenever the time is right for you.

Always your humble servant,

Twilight Sparkle

My dearest Twilight,

You really need to stop taking these correspondences so seriously. You are my personal pupil, and furthermore you are like a daughter to me. As such, I take personal pride in feeling obligated to reply to you as swiftly as I can.

This news of your night troubles worries me; when I am done writing I shall bring this to my sister, perhaps she can shed a brighter light on the situation.

What worries me more is this notion of a subliminal message. Such things are not to be taken lightly, as they can have great meaning. I will ask that you come to Canterlot whenever your schedule allows it, so that my sister and I may investigate further.

Your Loving Teacher,

Princess Celestia

P.S.: This does not mean come tonight.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Thank you. If it behooves you, I will leave on the morning train.

On a more personal matter, how are my brother and Cadence doing?

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Dear Twilight,

I will await your arrival.

The newlyweds have been adjusting to their life well. Shining Armor has been avoiding his new title as Prince, but he wears the title well. It is certainly a relief to have another prince around who isn't such a braggart. Perhaps maybe your brother may yet change him, although I sincerely doubt it.

It has been a long time since we've sent this many letters in such a short period of time. I miss that, my little pony.

Your Loving Teacher,

Princess Celestia

Twilight put the letter down, a melancholy smile adorning her face as she read the last few lines. It had been awhile since she and the Princess had just talked. Even longer still, as the letters sent within the last hour really amounted to only a fraction of a conversation.

She turned to the clear orange bottle sitting on the table, right next to it a glass of water. With a glance at the clock on the wall, Twilight opened twisted off the cap and poured out a white pill, popping it into her mouth and washing it down with the glass of water. Finishing off the glass, she turned to look at the darkening sky outside.

Tomorrow she would leave for Canterlot, where she might finally receive the answers she longed for. But first, she thought, glaring at the mess of streamers, confetti, and glitter scattered over the floor, I need to clean up. Suppressing a yawn, Twilight called out to Spike, and grabbed a broom for herself.

Tomorrow, she would receive her answers.


End file.
